The Manila Electric Company’s (MERALCO) power demand in its franchise area improved this April compared to the same period last year as the government boosts its COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
MERALCO’s energy sales for the said month increased by three percent to 14,261 gigawatt-hours (GWh) compared to 13,856GWh year-on-year, while net system input rose by two percent to 15,002GWh from 14,655GWh.
The power giant’s customer base also grew by four percent to 7.23 million from 6.96 million in 2020.
During the company’s virtual stockholders’ meeting on Tuesday, MERALCO President and CEO Atty. Ray Espinosa said this improvement shows evidence of recovery and healthy growth amid the continuing pandemic.
Last year, MERALCO’s energy sales dropped by seven percent to 43,527GWh, while net system input also decreased by seven percent to 45,919GWh due to the impact of the lockdowns on the commercial and industrial sectors. MERALCO’s franchise area was among those hardest hit by the lockdowns. The franchise area covers the entire Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, and Cavite, as well as portions of Laguna, Batangas, and Pampanga.
Moving forward, Espinosa said the power giant would speed up its electrification program, expand its business by serving new areas through key partnerships, and expand pole management operations to urban services and non-cable attachments.
The company will also build an advanced metering infrastructure and advanced distribution management system, and through substation and distribution automation.
Espinosa said they will also improve their potential in load sensing and predictive fault monitoring to heighten service delivery while integrating an integrated ICT (information and communications technology) command center to increase their visibility and control over their grid.
MERALCO reported a Php5.72 billion consolidated core net income to in the first quarter of 2021, a 10.7% decline from that of the same period last year. Before this, it registered a Php21.7 billion profit for the entire 2020, a nine percent drop from the previous year’s.
Photo courtesy of MERALCO Powerclub website.
